Seattle Schools Community Forum

I would like to say this is a parody of sorts but no, it's Director Peaslee's recommendations for School Board. Now the first thing you'll note is that she gives recommendations for all the races (even though not all are on the primary ballot anyway) except for her own district.  Weird, no? Then there's this: The most important trait needed to ensure an effective School Board is collegial respect. 

One incumbent running, that is.  Director Peaslee today announced that, like Directors Carr and Martin-Morris, she will not be seeking another term on the Seattle School Board.  She says: Although serving on the Seattle School Board has been one of the more satisfying experiences of my life, it's now time to support my two children through college. She talks about the work still to be done and, like Director Carr, names the Seattle Pre-K program.  I have to say the public push for this program by the Board is interesting given how little attention it had before its passage by them.  (Or at least, publicly.)  It almost makes me wonder if any of these directors will have a second act in the City's Office of Education. What's fascinating is that the Board, with three members leaving in December is going to continue to devote a chunk of time on learning about governance.  I find that baffling for a group of smart people who have had numerous "board...

The agenda for the regular legislative Board meeting on December 3 has been amended. The scheduled vote on the motion to offer an extended contract to Dr. Nyland has been changed from December 3 to a Special Board meeting on December 10. The special meeting is already on the Board Calendar and other scheduled Board activities for that day have been re-scheduled. Immediate action is no longer in the best interests of the District. I can only presume that Board President Peaslee acted unilaterally when scheduling the special meeting and re-scheduling the other activities. Board Policy 1400 gives her that authority: " Special meetings may be called by the President or on a petition of a majority of the Board members ." Moving the vote to December 10 still allows only half of the usual amount of time between introduction and action on a motion. The Board is meeting on December 17th as well, the usual two week gap between introduction and action, but President Peaslee did ...

Please support a much more critical demonstration next Wed, Sept 3rd , at the Seattle School Board meeting.   The District is making decisions about its next step regarding the Garfield HS rape victim. We know the District’s response was outrageous, but the general public must also become educated. The self-serving Seattle Times reporting did nothing to inform the public of the facts. We know the District still pretends that no assault occurred (despite the assailant's testimony to raping/sodomizing and medical information); the District takes no responsibility for its deplorable chaperoning, nothing is wrong. The victim wasn’t even the recipient of sexual harassment, they determined.   Yeah right.   A successful student’s life was ruined on a school field trip where chaperones and staff failed to supervise. It was entirely and easily preventable.

Update: I had forgotten that tomorrow is the date that WA State Supreme Court answers the Legislature on the McCleary decision.  That should be illuminating. end of update. Seemingly, the quiet before the storm that is the reopening of school next week. The only item on the district calendar is one I erred about in the Friday Open Thread.   Director Patu's Saturday Community meeting is this Saturday, the 30th from 10 am to noon at Cafe Vita. There is also, on Saturday, September 6th, the first Community meeting with President Peaslee in a very long time.  (She has previously apologized, saying her duties as president left her no time to have community meetings.) It is at the NE Library and it is one hour long from 3:30-4:30 pm.  I would imagine you might want to get there early to get a seat. I've received a report that Arbor Heights and STEM K-5 have been able to equitably share space in the Boren building.  It's great when school leaders can work tog...

If you blinked, you might have missed it. The Times does some really weird thinking on how long they allow education opinions/op-eds to stay (1) on their front page of their website and (2) on the Opinion page of their website.  I've seen some stay for just a day, some for a week or more and some, you cannot find even if you search. This one is a bit of a record as it was just there this morning on their front page webpage and now it's not. But, of course, the Times wants the NCLB waiver issue to run to their view and this, well, doesn't. In fact, President Sharon Peaslee, rather than arguing the rightness or wrongness of having the waiver, does the opposite.  She talks about how one score will not achieve better outcomes for anyone. And, she's right. She even puts in a throwdown to Common Core, saing that Common Core should be "decoupled" from high-stakes testing.  But, it's not because Common Core is bad:: The testing is putting the Common...